The gastrointestinal (GI) tract, which houses over one thousand distinct bacterial species and an estimated excess of 1×1014 microorganisms, appears to be central in defining human host health status and a key part of the microbiome. Disruption of this microbiome is believed to be causative of a number of disorders.
Indeed, antibiotics, often a frontline therapy to prevent deleterious effects of microbes on human health can induce disruption in the microbiome, including in the GI tract, and lead to further disease. For instance, beta-lactam antibiotics are excreted in the bile into the gastrointestinal tract, and can damage the colonic microflora and lead to serious illnesses such as Clostridium difficile infection.
There remains a need for safe and effective doses and regimens of agents that prevent microbiome disruption by antibiotics while not reducing or eradicating the beneficial anti-infective effects of these antibiotics in a patient.